TAMPA BAY: ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The Tampa Bay Rays feel they have everything it takes to win the World Series and aren't afraid to say it.
The budget-minded franchise that's played into October four out of the past six seasons boosted payroll instead of cutting back this winter in hopes of making another strong run for the playoffs.
''The goal is to be the team that plays the last game of the year and win,'' third baseman Evan Longoria said.
''I felt like we were really close to breaking through last year,'' the three-time AL All-Star added. ''And with the team that we have this year, I'm really excited to go out and try to prove to ourselves that we are good enough to do that.''
The Rays won 92 games a year ago, including a Game 163 tie-breaker to claim a wild-card spot, and have compiled the second-best record in baseball over the past six seasons.
That's not enough for manager Joe Maddon and a hungry collection of players who reported to spring training feeling as if there's unfinished business to tend to after losing to eventual World Series champion Boston in the AL division round.
''I love that our guys feel and think that way. I think it's great,'' Maddon said.
''You'll hear that rhetoric in a lot of clubhouses, whether it's baseball, football or basketball, but you've got to back it up. You have to really believe it. Not just say it,'' he said. ''Some groups say it because they're supposed to say it. Some groups say it because they believe it. Our guys believe it.''
That confidence was bolstered by the Rays' ability to keep most of the key components from last year's roster together, including lefty David Price, who anchors one of baseball's deepest pitching rotations.
Price and just about everybody else expected the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner to be traded, however the Rays wound up giving him a $14 million one-year deal, in addition to re-signing first baseman James Loney and landing free agent closer Grant Balfour in moves that represent a big chunk of a club-record payroll of around $80 million.
Andrew Friedman, the team's vice president of baseball operations, also traded for catcher Ryan Hanigan and infielder Logan Forsythe to give Maddon additional flexibility filling out a batting order around Longoria and 2013 AL rookie of the year Wil Myers.
''Talent can't win every game for you, but it's a good start,'' said Loney, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal - largest since Tampa Bay has given to a free agent since Stuart Sternberg became principal owner.
''If we can stay healthy, if we can do the things we're capable of doing,'' second baseman Ben Zobrist add, ''we certainly have as good or better chance than any other team in the league to win it all.''

TORONTO: TORONTO (AP) - All winter long, the Blue Jays' primary concern was upgrading the starting pitching. The biggest story in Toronto this spring, though, is the one about the free agent arm that got away.
After months of inaction, the Blue Jays thought they'd landed right-hander Ervin Santana on a one-year deal in early March. But when injury concerns flared up in Atlanta, Santana signed a similar deal with the Braves instead.
''I think it's pretty obvious we were involved, it didn't work out. I'm trying to take the high road here,'' general manager Alex Anthopoulos said after Santana turned him down, saying he'd rather pitch in a spacious National League park than face AL East foes in Toronto's hitter-friendly dome.
Anthopoulos, who'd previously come ''extremely close'' to acquiring a starter through trade, must now start the season with almost the same staff he took north last year. Right-handed knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young winner, will be the opening-day starter again, while left-hander Mark Buehrle gets the third slot.
But none of the other three leading contenders, right-handers Brandon Morrow and Drew Hutchison, and left-hander J.A. Happ, have ever pitched 200 innings, and all three are coming off injuries. Morrow was limited to 10 starts last year by a nerve problem in his forearm, Hutchison hasn't pitched in the majors since elbow surgery in 2012, and Happ missed most of 2013 after being hit in the head by a line drive. Happ dimmed his own chances with an awful spring.
Santana, who has topped the 200-inning mark five times, would have given the Blue Jays valuable depth. Without him, there's more chance they'll need starts from touted but untested youngsters like Kyle Drabek, Sean Nolin, and Marcus Stroman.
Still, a confident Dickey insisted Santana would have been more ''bonus'' than ''necessity'' to Toronto. ''I feel like we have what we need,'' he said.

The Toronto Blue Jays' once-potent lineup had been failing to compensate for a struggling rotation for much of August until the finale of their recent trip.

The fading Blue Jays will try to win back-to-back contests for only the second time this month Friday night when they open a nine-game homestand with the first of three against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Toronto (65-62) led the majors with 134 homers, ranked third with a .264 average and fifth at 4.65 runs per game when it stood 1 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Baltimore on July 31.

The Blue Jays, however, slumped with a .239 average, seven homers and 2.9 runs per game while dropping 12 of their first 16 games in August to fall nine back of the Orioles heading into Wednesday's outburst.

Jose Reyes finished with three hits and Jose Bautista added a three-run home run as part of a 15-hit barrage in a 9-5 win at Milwaukee that capped a 2-6 road swing.

"This has not been a good road trip for us, anybody will tell you that," said starter R.A. Dickey, who needed the support by allowing five runs over 5 2-3 innings. "The home run by Jose was the difference and you could kind of hear a collective sigh on the bench."

The Blue Jays haven't won two in a row since taking their previous two home games Aug. 9-10. They rank near the bottom of the AL with a .246 average versus left-handers as they take on Tampa Bay's Drew Smyly.

Smyly (7-10, 3.66 ERA) was impressive in a second straight outing Saturday, allowing two runs over seven innings, but did not get a decision in a 3-2 home loss to the New York Yankees.

"Smyly was really, really good again," manager Joe Maddon said of the lefty, who was acquired from Detroit in the David Price trade July 31.

In his previous start, Smyly gave up three hits with nine strikeouts over 7 2-3 innings in a 7-0 victory at Texas. He's gone 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts since joining the Rays (62-65).

Smyly makes his first start against the Blue Jays, though he limited them to two hits over 2 2-3 scoreless innings over three relief appearances for the Tigers last season.

Tampa Bay is three games behind second-place Toronto and New York after snapping a four-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Detroit on Thursday. Brandon Guyer's first-inning RBI triple was the only hit off Price, who went the distance in his first start back at Tropicana Field.

"It's weird," Guyer said. "I've never seen a win like that."

Toronto's Marcus Stroman (7-4, 3.83) will pitch on two extra days of rest after surrendering five runs and five hits in just two-thirds of an inning in last Friday's 11-5 road loss to the Chicago White Sox.

"There's a lot of emotion that goes into this game, you want to do everything in your power to put your team in a position to win, and I did everything but that," Stroman told MLB's official website.

The right-hander should have a good chance to rebound at home, where he's 5-1 with a 1.62 ERA in eight starts. He'll try to pick up a Toronto rotation that posted an 8.17 ERA during the disappointing trip.

The Jays have won six of 10 versus the Rays, including a three-game home sweep in May.